Page:The Way of a Virgin.djvu/51

Rh height, and, all in the clouds, the good mother, scarce visible! and she when the wind blew, turned upon the yard as though upon a stake.

What to do? How remove her mother from off the yard?

A great crowd had come together; they discussed; they preferred counsel. Said some: there is naught for it but to take a hatchet and cut the yard. Said others: no, 'tis a bad plan. Why lose two souls? For as soon as the yard is cut, the woman will fall and kill herself. 'Tis better to pray to God that perchance by some miracle the old woman will disentangle herself from it.

During this time the son-in-law awoke, and perceived that his ring had descended to the base of his finger, tha his yard raised itself towards the sky to a hight of seven versts, and that it nailed him solidly to the earth, in such wise that he could not turn upon his other side.

He withdrew very softly the ring from his finger; his yard descended to the height of a cubit's span; and the son-in-law saw his mother-in-law suspended upon it.

"How camest thou there, little mother?"

"Pardon, my little son-in-law. I will not do it any more!" 51